Coming Back
by Ryzxn
Summary: Seth finds out his childhood friend is actually a magical creature. Right after he finds out, something tragic happens, and the rest of the gang from Fablehaven are dragged into Seth's friend's story. Rated T for...Something
1. Anette

**Well, now I'm on to Fablehaven. This is one of my favorite books. Another revised story...**

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XXX**

Two lithe bodies of cats, walking side by side, slunk through the trees. The first, a male, had a pale, cream-colored pelt, with darker flecks, and green eyes. The other, a female, had a dark brown pelt with black and tan stripes down her back and a white patch on her chest. She had amber eyes that glittered when she faced the setting sun.

**(A.N: Seriously. No. I did not accidentally post a warriors story on the Fablehaven post. I promise, this is a Fablehaven FanFic.) **

The pair approached a large yard, in the middle of the yard was a house. The house looked somewhat old, though sturdy. Many lights could be seen, shining through the windows of the bottom-floor windows. The second story had only four windows, two on each side of the house. All were darkened.

The cats looked at each other, then ahead. They walked into the yard. As they did, they felt the magic of a barrier try to press them back. The pair lowered their heads and pushed through. On the other side, they stopped to lick their ruffled fur back into place.

The cats advanced towards the house. The walked up to the door, looked at each other, and pushed through, just as they did the barrier surrounding the yard. The cats, leaving no evidence of their entrance into the house, slunk through the shadows on the edges of the room, unnoticed. From a corner of the room, they spied on the many people gathered in the room.

"I told you already! I don't know how I got here!" A beautiful girl with long dark hair, who seemed about 16 years old, shouted.

"Well... Who are you?" Warren glared at the girl from standing next to Vanessa. There was a threat in his voice, as if daring the girl to refuse to talk.

Vanessa placed her hand gently on Warren's shoulder. Warren glanced back at her and seemed to calm down. He turned to the girl again. Warren was clearly still mad, but his glare had softened.

"What's going on?" Seth, who was now 16, walked into the room. His gaze fell on everyone's face, except for the girl's, who had her back to him. As she turned, Seth's jaw dropped, and he stared at the girl.

Warren sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "Where's Bracken when you need him?" Warren seemed to be the only person who didn't notice the eye contact between Seth and the girl.

"An-" Was all Seth managed before the girl shouted.

"SETH!" The girl jumped off the chair and wrapped her arms around Seth's neck in a hug before anyone could move to stop her. "I missed you so much!"

Seth stumbled backwards, but caught himself on the doorway. The girl's reaction to seeing Seth caught Warren's attention as well. The girl released her hold. Seth took a step back grabbed the girl by her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"Is it really you?"

The girl looked amused and furious at the same time. "OF COURSE IT"S ME! YOU IDIOT!"

"Mrow." Came the meows of the two cats that were hiding in the corner of the room.

The girl's eyes turned to the shadows in the room. She glared around her. "Kira! Rice! You idiots! It's _your _guys' faults I'm here! Come here!"

"Mrow!" The two cats fled out the room, running right through it, the same way they entered.

"They can face demons, but they can't face their own charge." The girl mumbled under her breath. Then, she turned to Seth.

"I told you I'd see you again! I knew from the start who you were. I knew who you'd become. I had to leave because I had to wait for you to learn who you were. You know who you are now, so I came back!" The girl's eyes sparkled as she talked. Everyone else in the room stared at her. Seth stared at her, taking in everything he just heard.

"Anette! Why didn't you come back sooner?" Seth said after the girl finished talking.

"I would have if I could have!" Anette retorted.

"We're back!" Kendra called as she and Bracken entered the room.

Bracken and Kendra came in the house just at the right time to see Seth lean forward and press his lips to Anette's. She looked surprised, but returned the kiss. Bracken started laughing and Kendra's mouth dropped open.


	2. Kira and Rice

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XXX**

Seth backed away from Anette. Anette glared at him. "Idiot..." Seth shrugged and plopped down lazily on a couch.

Bracken finally stopped laughing and glanced at Warren. "He beat us to it."

Warren looked back and nodded. "Why is it teens these days always jump right in? They never wait for anything!"

Everyone laughed gently, except for Seth and Anette, who had no idea what was happening.

"What?" Seth asked defensively.

"Nothing." Kendra shot back at him.

Anette looked around. Her gaze stopped at the door. "I'M GOING TO GET YOU LATER!" She yelled at the door. Hurried paw steps could faintly be heard after she finished.

"You know what?" Kendra snapped, apparently mad at Seth for some reason. "I'm just going to go to bed. I don't even want to know what's going on until I've had some sleep." Kendra walked down one of the halls.

Everyone stared at Bracken. Bracken stared after Kendra for a while. When he noticed everyone's gaze on him, he followed. Everyone watched him go.

Warren looked at Anette again. "Who are you...really?"

It was Seth who answered. "Anette Taylor."

Anette glanced at Seth. "He's right."

Stan looked from his grandson to the girl. "How do you know each other?"

"3rd grade." Anette said slowly.

Seth nodded his agreement. "We were good friends. No one ever wanted to play with her because she was absent so much. Everyone though there was something wrong with her."

Vanessa chuckled. "I didn't know there was a Seth who cared for people that much... And showed it."

"That's a one-time thing." Seth mumbled.

"That's too bad..." Ruth mumbled.

"Well." Tanu started, speaking for the first time. "I think we should save this for tomorrow. I bet we are all tired. We should all get some sleep, eh?"

Everyone nodded their agreement. Stan turned to Anette. "Whoever or whatever you are, since Seth knows you, I _think _we can trust you not to kill us all in our sleep. Come on. You can use a spare bedroom."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seth shot back at his grandfather.

"It means go to bed." Ruth said.

XXX

Seth woke up to meowing. He could feel the breath of two creatures on his face. As far as he knew, there wasn't any cats in the house except for the two that Anette had scared.

Seth sat up quickly, ramming his head into something. "Oww!"

"Oww!" Both creatures said at the same time.

"Who are you!" Seth demanded into the darkness, his vision was adjusting to the dim light in his room.

"Who are you?" One creature asked.

"Kira. Stop teasing him."

"I can't help it, Rice. He's so cute!"

"Who are you!" Seth demanded again. He could see the forms of two humans. One standing next to his bed, one sitting on the end of his bed.

The person on the end of his bed got up and flipped on the lights. The sudden brightness made Seth have to shield his eyes. As his eyes re-adjusted, he could see the figures clearly.

"You're...the cats?" Seth asked, slowly.

Each figure had cat ears sticking out of their heads. Their nails tapered into claws. A tail swished playfully behind each figure's back. They each had dark-colored t-shirts. The one by Seth's bed had shorts, the other had jeans.

"Yes! We are! I'm Kira!" The "cat" standing next to his bed perked her ears forward and flicked her tail. Her hair was the same color as one of the pelts of the cats Seth had seen retreating from the house. Dark brown with black and tan highlights.

"Rice." The other said. His hair was cream-colored with darker flecks.

"No thank you." Seth mumbled.

Kira laughed. "No! His name is Rice!"

"Oh." Seth replied. "Why are you here? Aren't you Anette's guardians or something? Shouldn't you be with her?"

Kira glanced at Rice. The pair spoke at the same time. "We'd rather face demons than her-"

"-Trust me you don't." Seth mumbled.

"-She scares us..."

"Why?"

"Because... She's..."

"FOUND YOU!" Anette burst into the room, throwing the door open.

"RUN!" Kira and Rice shouted at each other and tried to run through the wall.

Anette caught them by their hair before they could. "I told you I'm going to get you back! So much for being guardians! You run from me rather than protect me! You're going to be in so much trouble if I tell _him._"

Rice and Kira looked visible scared at the word "him".

"What?" Seth asked.

Anette walked out of the room, dragging her guardians by their hair. "You'll know soon enough."

XXX

"Alright. Now I'm scared." Kendra mumbled, glancing at Anette.

Bracken had just tried to reach into Anette's mind. He couldn't. Anette's mind was surrounded by a cloud that Bracken couldn't reach past. Anette wasn't even conscious of the cloud.

Anette shrugged. "Anyway! Let's go!"

"What are we letting ourselves into..." Warren chuckled.

Vanessa laughed and hit Warren playfully on the shoulder. "What, scared?"

"No way!"

"Geez! Stop acting like kids!" Kendra growled at them.

"What _is _your problem, Kendra?" Seth asked.

Warren walked up next to Seth. "She's mad because you're the first one to kiss someone." Warren whispered then chuckled.

"I heard that! And I AM NOT JEALOUS OF SETH." Kendra glared at the two guys.

Seth and Warren burst into laughter.

"Oh! Come on! You guys are so slow!" Anette walked quickly to the front door.

"Right." Stan said. Vanessa, Stan, Kendra, Seth, Warren, Kira, and Rice followed her into the yard.

Out in the yard, Anette stopped. "Seth. Come here."

Seth walked to Anette. "Yeah?"

"Kira. Rice. You are in _soooo_ much trouble." Anette glanced at the pair with an evil glint in her eyes. "Come here you two."

Kira and Rice stepped forward, slowly.

"Seth. Stand back-to-back with me." Anette commanded. Seth complied.

"Kira, Rice." The pair did the same, in the same position as Seth and Anette about 20 feet away. "Right. Now."

Kira and Rice nodded. They both stared glowing white. Their bodies grew smaller, and by the time the white light faded, they were cats. Seth couldn't feel Anette's back on his anymore. Everyone else watching, gasped.

"You can turn now, Seth." Anette said. To Seth, her voice sounded far away.

Seth turned. He had to look up to see Anette's face. "You're...a..."


	3. Ynnyx

**Thank you iMelinda And Nostalgia's My Best Friend For Reviews~**

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven~**

**XXX**

"You're... a..." For once, Seth was at a loss for words. Ever since his parents found on about Fablehaven and other magical creatures, Seth and Kendra had stayed at the preserve and trained non-stop.

Since Ruth and Stan expected Kendra - unless she went to live with Bracken - and Seth to take over the preserve, they trained the siblings mercilessly. Kendra and Seth knew almost as much as their grandparents, except for things learned only from experience. Not even Ruth or Stan could tell what this girl or her companions were.

**(A.N: Kendra and Seth's parents are living normally at their normal house.)**

"What are you..." Seth continued, slowly.

Flying, or more, hovering, above Seth was a large white tiger. Anette, apparently now the tiger, had a set of wings sprouting from her back, just past her shoulder blades. Other than her size, and the wings, Anette looked like a normal white tiger.

Anette slowing let her wings drop her to the ground next to Seth. "I'm a Ynnyx." Anette's voice didn't seem to coming from her mouth. Her voice just seemed to spill off her instead.

Anette turned to the two cats. "So much for guardians! I only need you to transform! You are in so much trouble now!"

"Ok. We know what she is, now I'm going back inside." Kendra walked back to the house.

Everyone looked at Bracken.

"What?" He said defensively. When everyone still stared at him he walked after Kendra. "Fine, fine..."

After staring at Bracken and Kendra, everyone turned to Seth. It was Seth's turn to act defensive, until he noticed everyone was looking past him.

"Raxtus!" Anette exclaimed as she bounded towards the small dragon.

"How exactly did you get here..." Ruth mumbled, directed at Raxtus.

"Anette summoned me." Raxtus turned to the Ynnyx.

No one noticed Kira and Rice trying to back away until Raxtus called them. "Kira! Rice!" If cats could wince, Kira and Rice did just then. The pair of felines slunk forward slowly.

Raxtus lowered his head to become eye-level with the cats. "First. You could be better guardians! I didn't let you two do this because you wanted to! I let you because I thought I could trust you! You don't let your charge.." Raxtus cast a side-ways glance at Anette, who blinked innocently. "You don't let your change wander off like that!"

Raxtus lifted his head. "Second. Book status. I'm sure everyone wants a full report on what exactly Anette is."

Kira and Rice glanced at each other. The pair recited their words perfectly, as if directly from a book.

**Ynnyx – Cat deity**

**A Ynnyx must have two "guardians" with it at all times. The "guardians" are used to transform from human to cat form. Both "guardians" must be cats and must be in cat form when their charge is in cat form. If their charge is in a human form, they may, or may not, have the ability to change into a human form as well. **

**Each Ynnyx has 9 lives, or stages. **

**At First stage: Appearance of a domestic cat is taken. **

**At Second stage: Appearance of a Lynx or similar cat, depending on the Ynnyx. **

**At third stage: Appearance of a Tiger or similar cat, depending on Ynnyx. **

**At fourth through ninth stages: Appearance of an enlarged version of third stage. The Ynnyx's powers and size grow larger the closer it is it's last life. **

Raxtus nodded his head as if satisfied. "Ok. Good. Return to normal."

Kira and Rice glanced at each other, relieved. Then slipped away as everyone began looking over Anette again. Seth finally asked, "What stage is Anette?"

"Fourth." Anette answered before Raxtus could.

Everyone whipped around as they heard Kendra screaming. "I TOLD Y-" She was cut off. Everyone glanced at each other, then turned back to the house as Kendra yelled again. "BRAC-" Again she was cut off.

Warren looked at Vanessa and she returned she gesture by bursting out in laughter. As Vanessa recovered her breath, Warren look to the ground. "Why am I always behind in everything! Geez! It's my turn now!"

Warren looked at Vanessa and Vanessa looked back with a look that said "WHAT!". Before Vanessa could even move, Warren grabbed her and kissed her. It was Seth's turn to start laughing. Soon, everyone joined in, once they realized a similar thing must have happened to Kendra.

**XXX**

**Well... how was that? iMelinda does that chapter answer your question :3? Hope you enjoyed~ Thank you for reading!**


	4. Shadows

**I was going to write something here... then I forgot... Oh well~**

…**Oh yeah! Just a note: Bracken and Kendra are NOT dating.**

**Reviews:**

**-iMelinda ~ Thanks for your support! I find that funny, too...And I wrote it xD. (Doesn't that mean it should be funny o.O;..)**

**-16hayhay16 ~ Yes, I was basing it somewhat on the ...whatever that is. But it has a few tweaks. One: It's not an artifact guardian. Two: It's more based on a dragon. It's somewhat human. Three: It's also more based on a White Tiger. **

**-Nostalgia's My Best Friend ~ Thank you for the warning... But I have plans.**

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven. **

**XXX **

"I can't believe you." Kendra glared past Seth and at Bracken.

"Hey! I couldn't think of anything else! You were probably going to kill me or something if I didn't think fast enough!" Bracken exclaimed defensively.

Seth laughed silently. He was sitting next to Anette, who was once again in human form, and watching the drama scene unfurl in the living room. Anette was watching just as eagerly while eating a sandwich.

Raxtus had eventually let Kira and Rice slip away once they were in human form again. The pair had run off somewhere, hopefully no where dangerous. However, Seth didn't care since no one else seemed to.

Seth heard more voices as Vanessa and Warren approached the house.

"Really, Warren. You don't even know what really happened...and yet..." Vanessa's voice trailed off. Seth glanced our the window soon enough to see her face-palm.

Warren laughed, still in a good mood. "Sorry. Couldn't help it. Would've happened eventually, anyway."

Vanessa laughed slightly. "Idiot..."

Warren chuckled as he opened the front door, interrupt Kendra's glare at Bracken from across the room as she looked up. Vanessa walked in, watching the four people in the room with a questioning look on her face. Warren followed, closed the door, then turned as he said, "Whoops. Wrong time. Wrong door."

Vanessa grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Just walk past and pretend nothing happened. Pretend they aren't there and we aren't interrupting anything..." she whispered. Warren nodded and the pair slipped into the kitchen as quietly as possible.

Kendra resumed her glare at Bracken, but was interrupted a few minutes later by a crash and coughing. Bracken jumped up as smoke floated into the living room from the kitchen. Kendra gasped, then started coughing as she breathed in smoke. Anette and Seth jumped at the crash and watched the kitchen door.

"Everything..." Vanessa started, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing. "..Fine." She finished.

Bracken sighed in relief and, holding his breath, he opened the front door and a few windows to let the smoke out.

As soon as the smoke cleared a bit, Vanessa's shout could be heard. "DANGIT! WARREN I TOLD YOU THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T PUT CLOSED JARS IN THE MICROWAVE!"

Raxtus poked his head through the open door. "Everything alright? I smelled smoke..."

"Wonderful." Kendra muttered. She sighed, sat down again, and started reading a book that was sitting on a chair nearby.

Raxtus looked at Bracken a Seth with a questioning look in his eyes.

"What?" Seth and Bracken said the the same time. "I didn't do _anything._"

Raxtus nodded, amusement glinting in his eyes, and backed out of the doorway.

"Seth! Kendra!" Stan called from outside. "What's going on?"

Kendra didn't look up from her book. Bracken sighed and sat down in the chair across the room from her. Seth looked at Kendra. It was clear she wasn't going to answer their Grandfather's call. Seth got up and walked out the door, followed by Anette.

Stan looked at Anette and Seth. "Everything alright in there?"

Seth nodded. "Warren just blew up the microwave. No big deal." Seth shrugged, making it seem like it really _was_ 'no big deal'.

Ruth was immediately worried. "Was everything all right?"

Seth shrugged again. "Want me to go ask? Vanessa said everything was fine. And she was yelling at Warren." Seth paused, making sure Vanessa couldn't hear from the house before continuing. "If it's _Vanessa _yelling, I'm sure everything's cool."

**XXX**

Seth waded through the knee-high lake of shadows. It wasn't a lake of water – it was a wake of literal shadows. Ghostly and nearly-transparent, the Shadows didn't stop Seth from moving, they just made him not want to.

There was little light were Seth stood. He paused, finding the medallion that always ended up in this palm whenever he was here. He could feel the ghost-induced fear pricking and nagging at his senses.

Seth lifted the medallion closer to his face, studying it. Metallic and dark-blueish-gray, the medallion felt cool in his hand. Seth traced the intricate swirl pattern with his finger. At the top of the medallion was a small hole, to which a glowing red string was tied. The long string fell off his palm and trailed through the dark shadows at Seth's legs. As soon as the string entered the Shadows, Seth couldn't see it anymore.

Seth slowly lifted the string, still holding the medallion in one hand. As the string left the Shadows, it became visible. Seth followed the string, walking through the Shadows.

He paused when he heard them

The voices.

So many voices...

The dead were all around Seth. Seth tried to tell himself he wasn't in danger, but he knew he was. He wanted to get as far away from this place as possible. Seth knew something was wrong.

The dead weren't calling for freedom; they were preparing to fight.

And they weren't going to fight for Seth.

A wraith cried out on Seth's right. Several others returned the call from Seth's left.

Seth ran, not realizing he was still following the red string until the Shadows below him suddenly disappeared. The dim red glow dragged Seth's attention from the dangers around him. He looked down and tripped on a rock Seth hadn't noticed. It was a rock, wasn't it? Nothing else could have tripped him since the dead were far away and the Shadows had disappeared, right?

Seth landed on the hard ground and the medallion in his hand rolled off, making a high-pitched _clink_ as it landed on it's side, just out of Seth's reach.

Seth tasted blood in his mouth as he started to push off the ground with his hands.

He never got the chance to get up.

The Shadows came.

They flew over Seth's back with grace and speed. As beautiful as the Shadows might have been as they flowed back into their murky lake, they had a deadly feeling to them. They weighed Seth down. His arms gave out underneath him and he fell on his chest.

The Shadows covered everything.

Seth couldn't see anymore. The Shadows became so thick Seth couldn't move. Couldn't breath. Couldn't think. Seth was gone. The medallion made a _twang_ sound as Seth lost any knowledge of living in this world.


	5. Found?

**Right. Just because I killed Seth doesn't mean the story is over. I have nothing against Seth... Just wanted to add a bit of spice to the plot ;3.**

**Seth: You're horrible.**

**-iMelinda... Technically I _did_ kill Seth because I am the one _writing_ the story, and in the story, Seth is attacked by Shadow thingies. **

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XXX**

Anette wandered through the various rooms of the house with Kendra at her side.

"Really..." Kendra mumbled. "Where is that idiot? Didn't he remember we were going to the old Mansion today?"

Anette paused. "Are you sure he isn't asleep still?"

"I'm not blind. I'd know if he was in his bed or not. He wasn't." Kendra retorted.

Even though Kendra's tone was mean, Anette took no offense. "Right... Maybe Bracken knows where he is..?" Anette suggested slowly.

"Maybe." Kendra replied through gritted teeth.

Anette raised an eyebrow with curiosity. Kendra made no signal that she was going to explain further, so Anette left the topic.

"Either of you seen Seth?" Warren asked as he came up behind Kendra and Anette, making both girls jump.

They turned and said at the exact same time, "No... we were just looking for him."

"Really?" Warren said, surprised. "You haven't seen him at all?"

Anette nodded.

"Haven't seen him." Kendra confirmed.

"That's weird." Warren stated. "I knew Seth tended to sneak away to visit the Satyrs... But someone usually noticed him..."

"And his emergency kit is still under his bed." Kendra pointed out.

"He still has that thing?" Anette asked while Warren laughed.

"Yeah." Kendra said. "But it's probably been upgraded quite a bit since you knew him."

"I can imagine." Anette replied, laughing.

Warren's laughter died away. "Anyway... Neither of you have seen Seth, _at all_, right?"

"Not since yesterday night." Anette said.

"This is just too weird." Warren mumbled as he walked past Kendra and Anette to continue searching the house.

**XXX**

Anette sat up on her bed. She turned off radio she was listening to, the gloomy songs leaving Anette feeling sad. She had hated leaving Seth. Whenever she missed him – which was all the time, almost – she had listened to sad music. She always missed him more afterward, but she could cope with it after listening to others be sad about things, too..

Anette felt she needed to listen to sad music again, since they never found Seth. It was like he had disappeared from her life, just like she had to do to him.

_(Flashback)_

"Clyvandir? Where's Mommy?"

A much younger version of Anette in human form hurried along, trying to keep up with a large man. The man had short brown hair and green-yellow eyes.

Clyvandir looked at Anette. "She's close. She's protecting us using her power. We have to hide, so she doesn't use up all her energy. Hurry." Clyvandir continued walking at a brisk pace. Anette almost had to run to keep up.

They came to a small apartment building and entered apartment 26. Clyvandir closed every window and locked every door until he and Anette were trapped in a bedroom. He opened the closet.

Light flashed through the room, then dimmed to a steady glow. Clyvandir grabbed the young Anette's hand and tugged her through the portal. Anette heard a crack as something broke through the wooden bedroom door. Someone screamed. Then, they were gone from the apartment.

_(Later)_

"Clyvandir?" Anette said with tears seeping out of the corners of her eyes. "W-where's Mommy?"

Clyvandir looked at the young girl from where he was sitting in a large armchair. He got out of the chair and sat on the ground, sadness in his eyes. "She's far away. She's still protecting you. Even though you can't see her, she'll always be with you."

Anette didn't understand, but she knew she couldn't see her mom anymore. She sobbed uncontrollably. Clyvandir gave the child a hug. "It's okay." He whispered. "We can't have our princess crying, now can we? We'll find somewhere nice for you to stay. Somewhere far away from the Zien."

Anette nodded and the unrelenting flow of tears streaming out of Anette's eyes slowed, but continued.

_(End flashback)_

"Anette!" Kendra couldn't get the door open fast enough. She jerked Anette's bedroom door open. "They found Seth!"

"That's great!" Anette replied, shaking off her depressing thoughts. "Where is he?"

"No idea." Kendra replied. "Warren only said the found him. Didn't tell me anything else."


	6. Hello and Goodbye

**-iMelinda~ I'm gonna leave you guessin' for a bit longer~ Teehee~ (Eww.. I feel girly now..)**

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven**

**This chap. is all Flashbacks... It doesn't actually happen. **

**XXX**

"_Mommy?"_

"_Yes, Anette?" A beautiful woman looked down at her daughter, who was sitting in her lap, looking right back at the woman. Anette looked like a smaller, cuter copy of her mom. _

_Her mom had long, black hair, with bright blue eyes. She had a delicate body, but had an air of authority about her. Anette had shorter hair since she was younger, but the same dark, black hair. Anette also had bright blue eyes. _

_Anette looked at her mother. "How big is the world?"_

"_Bigger than you think, but smaller than your imagination." Anette's mother replied, resting her hand on the young girl's head. Her delicate fingers combing through Anette's hair. _

_Anette was puzzled. "So... the world is bigger than what I think, but smaller than my brain?"_

_Anette's mother laughed. "No, Anette. Your imagination never ends. The world must be smaller than that. However, the world is bigger than what you think it is."_

"_Is it bigger than all of the kingdom's land?" Anette asked, eye gleaming with excitement._

"_Yes." Came the reply. _

"_You're majesty." A new voice came from behind the chair Anette and her mother were sitting on._

"_Clyvandir!" Anette exclaimed._

"_Yes?" Anette's mother asked. _

"_We must move. The Zien are approaching fast." Clyvandir put his fist over his chest and bowed. _

_Anette's mother picked the young girl up and placed her on the floor. Then, she got up and turned, her long robes flowing out behind her, landing at Anette's feet._

"_You must take her." Anette's mom commanded._

"_I could never!" Clyvandir stood up straight with a look of shock on his face._

"_What's a Zien? Are they coming to play?" Anette asked innocently from behind her mom._

"_No, dearest." Anette's mom said. _

"_Your majesty, you must move! They are almost here!" Clyvandir stressed._

"_They will come where ever we are!"Anette's mom snapped. "They will always come! I won't stand running away!" _

_Anette flinched when her mom's voice became mad. She took a few steps forward and grabbed her mom's hand. "Don't worry, Mommy." She said. "I'll protect you."_

_Clyvandir looked at Anette, sadness and respect in his eyes. "Does she know?" He asked._

_Anette's mom shook her head no. She looked at Anette with tears pouring out of the corners of her eyes. "Oh...Anette... I love you so much..." She bent down and kissed the girl on the forehead. "You have to promise me, dearest, no matter how far away we are, you'll protect Mommy by staying away from the Zien."_

_Anette didn't know what that meant, but she nodded. "I promise! I'll protect Mommy!" _

"_Go..." Anette's mom said slowly, casting a loving, longing glance at her daughter. "Take her Clyvandir. I must stay. I must protect her before she can protect us." _

"_But, you're majesty, I am not up to the job, you must both flee.." Clyvandir protested._

"_Take her!" Anette's mom commanded. _

"_Yes, Your majesty." Clyvandir finally gave in. _

_Anette was dragged away by Clyvandir's hand. He pulled her through the door at the end of the room. As Anette was leaving, she looked back. She saw her mom, looking at her with sadness, love, and hope in her eyes. Then, Anette's mom was overtaken by dark crimson light, the light filled the room like smoke. Before the light reached Anette, she was tugged out the door and Clyvandir slammed the door shut. _

**XXX**

"_What's your name? And how come I never saw you before?" 3 weeks into school and this was the first time Seth had seen the young girl in his class. Seth was outside, after lunch, playing, when he saw her. _

"_My name is Anette..." The girl said shyly. "I wasn't here...because... I just couldn't come... I have family problems..." _

_Seth shrugged and nodded. "Everything alright?" _

"_Fine..." She said slowly. "What's your name?"_

"_Seth!" Seth stood up and performed a mock bow. "Seth the awesome, at your service!"_

_Anette giggled. _

"_So, wanna play?" Seth asked._

"_Sure!" Anette replied. _

_XXX_

"_What do you mean you're leaving?" Seth shouted as he stood next Anette outside the office of their school. It was right after the school day had ended. _

"_I have to go... Seth... I'm sorry. My family is moving." Anette said softly._

"_But...You said we'd go to the next grade together! You can't just leave!" Seth exclaimed._

"_I wouldn't have gone to the next grade anyway...Seth, I missed too many days..." Anette said, sadness in her eyes as she had to tell her best friend she was leaving him, probably forever._

"_Even if you did, I'd stay back too, to be with you! I don't want you to leave!" Seth shot back. _

"_I'm sorry Seth." Anette whispered as Clyvandir approached from behind her. "I have to go."_

"_Anette... No.. You said we would always be friends." Seth whispered back._

_Anette looked at Clyvandir with sadness and lament in her eyes. He nodded. Anette stepped forward and threw her arms around Seth. Before she backed away from the hug, she whispered in Seth's ear. "We'll always be friends. Always. Someday... I'll find you, whether you know it or not."_

_Anette back away and slipped her hand into Clyvandir's. They turned and walked down the hall and out the front door. Anette didn't look back. All Seth could do was stare, watching his best friend leave him behind. Where ever Anette was going, she wasn't taking him with her. _


	7. Cat Vs Dog

**Reviews:**

•**SymetricallyObsessed – Thank you..? I feel somewhat honored by you reviewing my story. I've constantly noticed your story on FanFic, but I never read it. (Not a Black ops fan...didn't think it would interest me.)**

•**iMelinda – My lovely reviewer... You MIGHT find out what happens to Seth this chap. Thank you.**

•**Nostalgia's My Best Friend – Thank you ;D. **

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XXX**

Anette ran with Kendra at her side. The two girls rushed outside, out of breath. Warren walked slowly up to them, hands in his pockets.

"Where is he?" Anette asked. Kendra nodded her agreement.

Warren shrugged. "I know as much as you. I only know our newest Knight of the Dawn knows where Seth is. We're about to go check..."

Kendra's eyes widened. "A New member of the Knights of the Dawn? Are they trustworthy?"

Warren chuckled. "Of course. We used the ultimate background check. Ruth doesn't feed Bracken for nothing."

Kendra rolled her eyes. Anette went back to the original topic. "So where _is _Seth?"

"Unfortunately, he's not on the preserve anymore."

"What!" Kendra exclaimed. "Warren! What do you mean? How did Seth get off the preserve!"

"That's another thing... We don't know anything right now." Warren sighed.

"Gaaah!" Kendra cried and started pacing. "Knowing Seth, he's probably gone off and gotten himself killed!"

Anette sighed. "I wouldn't say anything, Kendra."

Kendra glared at Anette. Warren backed away while he could. Warren turned, and tripped over a wolf. He stumbled but didn't fall.

Kendra and Anette looked at Warren, who was by now a few feet away, and noticed the wolf for the first time. The small, silver wolf looked back at the girls with light green eyes. Anette's jaw dropped.

"K-Kyrei!" Anette stammered.

"Anette?" The wolf flicked some fur away from her face and revealed a rainbow stone embedded in her forehead. "Is that really you?"

Kyrei stood on her hind legs and quickly morphed into a human. She had silver hair, light green eyes, and a faintly glowing stone hung from a silver chain on Kyrei's neck, casting a slight colorful shine on her face.

Kyrei hug-attacked Anette, wrapping her arms around the shocked girl's neck. "How long has it been?" Kyrei asked happily.

Anette forced herself to wrap her arms around Kyrei. "Too long..." Anette said with hidden disgust. Anette turned her head to face Kendra and mouthed 'help me'.

Bracken walked up from behind Kendra as she started laughing.

"Stan wants you four. He wants to decide who is going to track down Seth." Bracken announced, looking at Warren, Kendra, Kyrei, and Anette.

Kendra's laughter stopped as Bracken spoke. Kendra turned to look at him, the amusement on her face already hardening into a glare.

Kyrei released her hold on Anette and looked at Bracken. Warren nodded and started walking towards the patio, where Bracken had come from. Anette followed, stalked by Kyrei who was pounding question after question at Anette.

Kendra walked past Bracken, their shoulders brushing as she passed. Bracken turned quickly as she passed and grabbed her by the wrist. Kendra was pulled backward and she turned to glare at Bracken, he took a step forward and pushed his lips onto hers.

Kendra gasped as Bracken pulled away seconds after he kissed her. Warren and the other girls disappeared around the side of the house. Bracken held Kendra so she couldn't turn away. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing." Kendra replied coldly.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"I know you are because your brother who always gets himself into trouble has just gone missing and you're trying to blow it off. That's not like you." Bracken retorted. "Now what's wrong?"

Kendra looked away. "It probably is nothing. Seth just probably went to go buy batteries or something..."

Bracken moved to Kendra's side and forced another kiss. As he pulled away, he looked into Kendra's eyes. "Really, Kendra. What is going on?"

"It's just..." Kendra managed before she lowered her head. "You're..." Kendra swallowed. "You're a _unicorn _Bracken. A unicorn. And you're the fairy Queen's son, too. You shouldn't be here. You should be home, rebuilding your kingdom." Kendra sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek. "You shouldn't be here...You're here for me. I know it. You're here because you like me. I-I don't want you to stay for _me _when you should be with your family."

Kendra tried to pull away, but Bracken still held her wrist. He pulled her into his chest and put his arms around her. "You're part of my family. I'm with my family always." Bracken rested his head on Kendra's. "I'm never leaving you, Kendra. Don't even start thinking otherwise."

Kendra nodded and sniffed in reply. She wrapped her arms around Bracken.

Kyrei rounded the corner of the house, Kendra and Bracken's figure coming into her view. Anette was right behind her.

"Hey...Oh..." Anette stopped before she said anything.

Kyrei jumped and clasped her hands together. "How _cuuuuuute_!"

Anette sighed and rolled her eyes. "We'll tell them who is coming later."

"I don't even remember who is coming..." Kyrei mumbled.

"Kendra, Bracken, You, Me..." Anette went through the list. "Vanessa, and Warren."

"Right..." Kyrei replied. "I can't wait wait to see Seth again!"

Anette glared daggers at the back of Kyrei's head. Fury rushed through her.

XXX

_Kyrei watched from the other sideof the fence of the playground as Anette and Seth played. She knew. She knew so much. Anette was her enemy. Her rival. Since they were born, they had been competing. Cat Vs. Dog. Always. Ynnyx and Lyrin. Both hunters. Both competitors. Always against each other. Land. Food. Fame. Everything. Anette had won, for now. Kyrei would win when she got older. She knew it. It was impossible for Anette to be princess forever. _

_XXX_

"_She's _dead_?" Kyrei wailed. "How? When? Why?" _

_A short man with a think black beard and no hair looked at Kyrei. "They didn't tell me. I'm sorry I'm a bearer of such bad news."_

_Kyrei looked at the man. "This is horrible news! You expect me to believe she's dead when you don't even know how?"_

_The man snorted. "She's dead. Believe me or not."_

"_You're horrible, Xarynde. Horrble." Kyrei retorted. _

"_No tears?"_

"_None. You dope. Does it look like I'm crying? I never liked her in the first place." Kyrei snapped. However, somewhere, in Kyrei's cold heart, she felt something was missing. Some important piece was lost. She knew only one person could fix that. _Anette.


	8. Tracking

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XXX**

"So what are you, Kyrei?" Kendra asked, leaning forward and resting her arms on the seat in front of her as the rented SUV she was in sped down the country road.

Kyrei turned in her seat so she was leaning against the window. She opened her mouth to speak, but the colorful stone on her neck flashed, distracting her. A female voice flowed off of the stone like waves. "Kyrei is a Lyrin. A magic tracker. A dog deity."

"Doesn't that make her a Wearwolf-Thing?" Warren asked from the front passenger seat.

Vanessa laughed lightly without taking her eyes off the road. "I highly doubt it, Warren. That would be like saying you're a 'Satyr-Thing'"

Kendra laughed and looked over her left shoulder. Bracken was leaning back in his seat, smiling at Vanessa's joke. Kendra could only see him if one of them leaned forward because there was a pile of luggage in between them. She was seriously starting to think that was done on purpose.

Kyrei's stone continued. "No. Not a 'Wearwolf-Thing.' A Lyrin. A Lyrin has eight stages of life. The first is a small dog; the second, a large dog; the third a wolf. The fourth through eighth lives of a Lyrin are various version of wolves. Kyrei is on her 3rd stage."

"The ninth life is taken from the Lyrin at birth and forged into a stone. The death of the ninth life before the others causes deep pain to the Lyrin that lasts for long periods of time. Even as an adult, the Lyrin might still feel the hurt." Everyone except Vanessa turned to look at Anette with surprise as she continued the Lyrin's description. "Isn't that right, Reikea?"

"Yes, Anette." Reikea, Kyrei's stone, replied.

"Didn't know you actually paid attention to Clyvandir's lessons." Kyrei smirked.

"Not your problem if I did or not." Anette snapped.

Kyrei laughed coldly. "True, but we both know Xarynde was a better teacher than Clyvandir."

Anette turned to look out the window. "Maybe..." She mumbled, "But Clyvandir is kinder."

"_Is?_" Kyrei asked, raising her eyebrows with suspicion.

"_Was._" Anette corrected herself, still not turning to face the others.

Kendra leaned back in her seat. The search party road on in silence until they arrived at a small hotel just outside of a small town.

XXX

"Alright! SFP! Let's get everything ready! Kyrei says we have a long way to go." Warren clapped and rubbed his palms together as he stood on a suitcase that was lying sideways on the floor.

"SFP?" Kendra asked as she fixed the sheets on one of the beds in Warren's hotel room.

"Seth-Finding-Party." Warren replied.

"Right." Vanessa said. "Now get off." Vanessa gave Warren's arm a gentle push and he stepped off the suitcase. Vanessa opened the suitcase and put a few towels inside before returning to gathering items to pack.

Kyrei padded in the room as a wolf. "I sense something. It has strong magic!"

Anette followed Kyrei into the room, worry glinting in her eyes before quickly disappearing.

Kendra looked at Kyrei. "Could it be Seth?"

"Dunno. Does Seth have strong magic?" Kyrei replied.

"He's a Shadow Charmer." Vanessa said.

"Then... It might be Seth." Kyrei stated.

"Or it might be something else..." Warren mumbled.

XXX

_She waited for them to come. Their red-grey glow overtook her eyesight. After that, she felt the cold numbness in her fingertips. She felt them flow through her bloodstream, reaching every part of her body. Next, she heard them. The sweet, dulcet sound of their humming. They whispered to each other, just softly enough to be inaudible to her. She strained her hears to listen, but couldn't make out any words._

_They continued singing, casting dancing lights across the room, making her what to close her eyes to shut out the blood-colored glow. She watched through their filmy forms as they filled the room. She wanted to turn. Make sure the door behind her was safely closed, but she couldn't move. _

_Their humming continued as they moved between each other, barely touching, yet filling all the space between them. She watched until she couldn't stand it anymore._

_That's when it hit her._

_Pain rushed through her body, making her eyes water as she fell to her knees. _

_No. They wouldn't get her kingdom. Her kingdom was safe, she hoped. She had given everything to her daughter. Her princess. The girl who would soon be queen. _

_Her body was pressed to the floor. They would soon overtake her. Take her into nothingness. Give her peace. She couldn't feel anything, but her mind was still working, though that sense she would soon lose, too. _

_Her mind fogged and she closed her eyes. She tried to focus, get one thing into her mind. In her mind she saw her daughter. In her heart, she told Anette she loved her. She knew this would happen, that sometime the Queen Krynsta would die. She never expected it to happen so soon. _

_Anette, Krynsta's beloved daughter, would live. Anette would save her, protect her. Just as Krynsta had promised. _

_Body and mind numb, Kyrnsta tried to send a message to her daughter._

I love you. I am always with you.


	9. Home

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**-SymetricallyObsessed – Leave it to Warren~ **

**XXX**

"Vanessa..." Warren whispered.

Vanessa nodded and moved toward a suitcase that had remained unopened since in was packed. Inside was various weapons – some hidden within household items – and Vanessa's darts. Vanessa never got to the suitcase.

"An-" Kyrei started, accusation in her voice, but she was cut off as man entered the room, throwing the door open.

Anette face flashed with recognition and a smile crept across her face. She ran to the man and threw her arms around him. "Clyvandir!"

Kyrei changed into human form. As Anette released Clyvandir and turned to face the others, Kyrei exploded at her. "You traitor! You know the laws of your kingdom!" she spat, "You of _all _people should know better!"

Anette glared at Kyrei with open dislike. "I owe him my life! I should spare his, at least!" Anette crossed her arms in front of her chest, standing in front Clyvandir. "But, of course, I'm sure if I died, it would've been better off for you, right? Hmm, _Princess?"_

"You may carry her _title_, but it's only a matter of time before you decide you can't handle rebuilding the kingdom. You aren't strong enough, _Your Majesty."_ Kyrei retorted.

"Shall we see who isn't strong _enough?_" Anette asked, a challenge in voice.

"Oh? The little princess finally fighting for herself? Hmm? Finally learning to stand up for yourself?" Kyrei countered. "_Let's do this!_"

Kendra, Vanessa, and Warren watched, bewildered. Warren spoke in the pause in the argument. "What's going on?"

"And who is he?" Kendra asked, motioning at Clyvandir.

Bracken walked into the room, from a door connecting the hotel rooms. "Huh? What's going on?"

Clyvandir placed his hand on Anette's shoulder and she turned. "We don't have time. The Zien know you both are together."

The anger in Anette's face disappeared, instead, sadness and grief showed in her eyes. "Let them come for all it matters now..." she mumbled.

Kyrei's face turned pale. "They're here?"

Clyvandir shook his head no. "They're close though."

Vanessa threw her hands up in the air. "Ok. I want some answers!"

Clyvandir nodded. "You're welcome to ask, but I'm afraid we have to move."

"Why?" Vanessa asked.

"The Zien are quickly approaching. We don't have time to waste." Clyvandir explained as he pushed Anette out the door.

"How long do we have?" Kyrei asked as she quickly moved toward the doorway.

"Minutes." Clyvandir replied.

"Minutes? They're that close and I didn't sense them?" Kyrei exclaimed as she exited the room and stood in the hallway.

"Better than seconds." Anette mumbled.

Kyrei glared at Anette. Clyvandir motioned for Vanessa, Warren, and Kendra to follow the girls out the door. Warren picked up the suitcase with the weapons in it and walked out the door. Kendra followed grabbing Bracken and dragging him outside as she passed.

Vanessa eyes Clyvandir suspiciously, but then slowly walked out the door. Clyvandir closed the door behind her. "Come," he motioned for them to follow him down the hallway. "We don't have time to waste. I have a portal waiting."

Clyvandir hurried the group forward. He stopped at another hotel room door.

"Portal?" Bracken asked.

Clyvandir just opened the door in reply. He rushed the group into the hotel room, glancing over his shoulder before entering himself.

"Clyvandir?" Anette asked. "How long?"

"Under a minute. To the closet, now." Clyvandir ordered.

Kyrei ran to a door across the room that seemed like a closet. She threw the door open and jumped through. The second it seemed like she was going to hit the wall, she disappeared.

Anette looked at the others, then did the same as Kyrei.

"What happened?" Bracken asked.

"Just go!" Clyvandir herded the group toward the closet door.

Vanessa stepped forward and jumped through. Warren followed. Bracken jumped in after Kendra. Clyvandir cast one final glance behind me, just as the Zien flooded into the room through the hotel room door. He jumped.

XXX

Kyrei was the first to regain consciousness after the quickness of the portal travel. She sat up. She was sitting in a clearing with the others around her. Trees danced in the slight breeze as the sun shone on their trunks, making them seem golden.

At least, that's what Kyrei thought at first. When she looked up, the sun was covered by a cloud. The weren't appearing golden. They _were_ golden.

Kyrei got up, Anette stirred and sat up beside her.

"Anette!" Kyrei whispered quickly. "The Golden Dancers!"

"Huhwut?" Anette replied, still dazed from whipping through the portal.

"The Golden Dancers! Remember them?" Kyrei asked, standing and spinning.

"Heh? You mean we're back?" Anette jumped up and looked around. "You're right..." she murmured.

Kyrei suddenly looked at Anette, concerned. "What about Seth?"

"Heh?" Anette turned, concern flickering in her eyes. "You're right. He's still on Earth. We have to find him...still."

Kyrei closed her eyes, focusing. Eventually, she opened them and looked down. "No need." She mumbled. "He's here...But I don't think we found him exactly how we expected to."

Vanessa stirred, sitting up. "What happened?"

Anette walked over and helped Vanessa stand. The girl turned to the trees. "I missed these so much..."

"What?" Bracken asked, standing. "What's going on?"

Kendra sat up slowly, her hand on her head. "Oh man... Headache." She looked around. "Where are we...?"

Warren stood up, but didn't say anything. He just looked at the trees in wonder.

Anette and Kyrei looked at each other at the same time and said, "We're _home"_

"Indeed you are..." Clyvandir said, rising from the ground. "At least, what's left of it."

"What do you mean?" Anette asked.

"I mean what I said. This place is dying." Clyvandir replied, sadness in his eyes. "Our home is dying."

"W-what?" Kyrei stumbled over her words as shock registered on her face. "It's _dying?_"

"Zien." Was Clyvandir's reply.

The meaning of the word caused both Anette and Kyrei to have flashbacks. Some worse than others. The two girls looked at each other, then into the forest. At the same time they said, "Seth."


	10. Royalty

**Everyone. You will find out what happens to Seth this chapter. I promise you all, you will know if Seth is dead or not Chapter 10 of Coming Back. I've held you guys in suspense, and now I'll finally let you know... On with the show~ **

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven. **

**XXX**

"Seth?" Bracken asked, but was ignored as Vanessa questioned Clyvandir.

Vanessa looked puzzled. "_Your _home?" she asked, "Where exactly are we?"

Clyvandir took a deep breath. "You are in the Star of Zarijen."

"Wait, we're on a _star?_" Warren asked.

"No." Anette replied. "Not a star. More like a land in a separate place from Earth."

"Like the Fairy Queen's realm?" Kendra asked, finally standing.

"Yes," Clyvandir replied. "Like the Fairy Queen's realm."

"This is our home..." Kyrei mumbled. She closed her eyes and breathed. Then, her eyes flicked open. Her face turned from peaceful to worried. She took a shaky breath. "S-Seth..."

Anette looked at Kyrei. "Can you sense where he is?"

Kyrei looked into the forest of golden trees surrounding the clearing. "He's inside the forest."

"How did Seth get here?" Kendra exclaimed.

"Why don't we ask Seth when we find him?" Anette replied.

"Come on." Kyrei morphed into wolf form and padded into the forest., Kyrei barely dodged trees as she walked, trying to walk in a straight line.

Kendra followed, tramping after Kyrei. Bracken walked behind Kendra. Warren followed the others.

Vanessa was about to step into the forest, when she heard meowing. The portal opened, casting a blueish-green glow on the ground, and out fell Kira and Rice. The pair fell on top of each other, in cat form. When the portal closed, they got up and began padding after Warren, as if nothing happened.

Vanessa laughed silently and hurried to catch up to the others. Clyvandir shrugged and followed.

XXX

"Oh no..." Kyrei sniffed the air. She hurried forward, running and stumbling. She jumped of something on the ground, then turned to face it. The wolf then lifted her nose to the sky and howled a mourning howl.

Anette ran forward, realizing what Kyrei had found. She ran forward and dropped to her knees in front of the thing. "Oh no...Seth.." She cried.

Kyrei morphed into a human and knelt beside Anette. Kendra and the others rushed forward.

Kendra fell to her knees next to Seth's body. "W-what happened..." She stammered before bursting into tears. Bracken approached and placed his hand on Kendra's shoulder, trying to comfort her as he held back his own tears.

Warren stood, shocked at the sight before him. "How? How is this possible?" He asked the air around him.

Vanessa leaned on Warren, seeming to be unable to support herself. "Oh...Seth..." Tears leaked down her cheeks.

Clyvandir stood a few feet away, letting the grief-filled group bear their pain without his help.

Tears rolled down Kyrei and Anette's cheeks. At the same time, the two girls curled into a ball and whispered, "I never should have left you..."

A few more minutes passed before Clyvandir decided it was time to move. The Zien could track them just as easily in Zarijen as on Earth. He coughed. "I think we should move to Nerae."

Kyrei and Anette glared at him. "Clyvandir, How can you say we have to move so soon?" Kyrei accused.

Anette lowered her gaze and stood, slowly. "We should move to the Castle of Nerae. We will be safer there."

"How?" Kyrei asked angrily. "We'll be no safer there! You know how Kyrnsta died!"

"Don't threaten me with the Queen's death!" Anette snapped. "I was there when it happened! I was there when the Zien overtook her!"

"Then you should know how easily they attack, no matter where we are!" Kyrei countered.

"Girls, please." Clyvandir said, putting his hands up. "The Castle Nerae is safer than where we are. There might be shelter."

"Might." Kyrei snapped. Then, her voice softened. "What about Seth?"

"We take his body with us. You never know..." Clyvandir mumbled. He approached Seth's body. "Do you mind if I carry him?" He asked the others.

Warren nodded, feeling numb. Kendra gave no response as she stood next to Bracken and leaned on him. Bracken nodded slowly.

Vanessa was the only one to talk. "Be careful." Though whether she was warning Clyvandir of what would happen if he tried something or whether she was telling him to be careful with the body, no one could tell.

Clyvandir picked up Seth's body, cradling it. He nodded and walked past the others, toward the castle. The others followed slowly.

XXX

"It's in ruins..." Anette mumbled, looking over the remains of the castle as they walked the last 100 yards or so.

"The throne room looks intact." Kyrei mumbled.

"True... But it might be unstable." Anette replied.

Kyrei glared at Anette. "If it has stood this long, I think it will stand another night."

The group walked along in silence for the rest of the way. As they approached the throne room, the only room with four walls and a roof, the group had to evade fallen columns of stone and rocks that were littered on the ground.

Anette and Kyrei walked into the throne room first, side by side. They examined the cracked walls and dull, white columns leading to the throne. The walked forward together until Kyrei rushed forward, ran up the steps leading to the golden chair, and plopped herself onto the throne. By now, the rest of the group had entered the room and were looking around.

The throne itself wasn't a great sight. The beautiful golden patterns that were engraved in the metal chair had worn away, and could hardly be seen. The soft fabric and stuffing that had once lined the seat and back of the throne had disappeared. Only the tattered remains of the fabric that held the stuffing in place remained.

Kyrei looked straight ahead, eyes sparkling slightly, as she places her hands on the golden armrests. Even being much to small compared to the chair, she looked regal.

Anette looked at her for a second then said, "You'll never fit into it."

The others gather and either sat or stood on the steps near the throne. Kendra sat next to Bracken and looked away. Bracken put his arm around her and she leaned on his side. Warren and Vanessa sat nearby. Clyvandir laid Seth's body on the ground in front of the steps and stood near the throne.

Kyrei glared at Anette and said, "Well, My dear elder sister. I will have this throne when you prove you don't deserve it."

Anette winced as Kyrei called her 'dear elder sister'. "Don't call me that." She hissed.

Bracken, Vanessa, and Warren looked from one girl to the other. Kendra was still too shocked to react, though she was clearly listening. Eventually, Kendra looked up at Anette. "Sister?" Kendra asked.

**XXX **

**Well. I know... This is a real fail. And I'll probably say something about it again at the end of the storyline, but this is supposed to take place after the last book. And in the last book, Newel and Doren get a Generator and Flat-screen TV... So why would they need batteries? ...Yup. Fail on my part. Well, I don't want to rewrite the story right now, so just go with it~ **


	11. A Light in the Darkness

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven**

**XXX**

Anette didn't answer.

"Sister?" Kendra asked again, looking around for the first time.

Anette stopped glaring at Kyrei and looked at the ground. "It's true," she finally admitted. "Kyrei is my younger sister. We are the only two people alive that can rebuild our kingdom."

"Wait..." Vanessa said, holding up a hand. "If Anette is the older sister, doesn't that mean _only _Anette can rebuild the kingdom? I mean, shouldn't she be the heir?"

Anette opened her mouth to speak, but Kyrei cut her off. "_I _need the crown," she said, smirking.

Anette glared at Kyrei again and didn't turn as she explained. "It doesn't matter. It's whoever is strong enough to take the crown."

"So, where's the crown?" Warren asked.

"Somewhere here," Kyrei replied.

"In Zarijen?" Bracken asked.

"Perhaps even in the Castle Nerae," Kyrei answered.

"So it's a race?" Kendra asked as she looked down, no emotion in her voice. She was clearly still devastated by Seth's death.

Kyrei looked at Anette and smiled. "Indeed."

Clyvandir stepped in between the two siblings. "Maybe. Maybe a race. But for now, let's try to get some sleep, huh?" He motioned at the dim sky outside the door frame.

Everyone nodded and tried to find some comfortable sleeping places in the throne room.

XXX

_In the darkest places, there is always light... _

The voice boomed through Anette's dream, making her want to wake up and not have to listen to the loud voice.

_Even the most beautiful things are not what they seem. Sometimes, the most precious item is the most dangerous. _

A softer, sweeter voice floated through Anette's mind.

_Do not trust what you see, trust what you feel. _

A loud, scratchy voice was heard in Anette's brain.

Anette jerked up, her heart pounding from her dream. She repeated the words she had just heard. "In the darkest places, there is light... Even the most beautiful things are not what they seem. Sometimes the most precious item is the most dangerous... Do not trust what you see, trust what you feel...What the heck does that mean?" She cried, forgetting to be quiet since the other were still asleep.

Anette looked around. Kyrei was sprawled on the throne in wolf form. Bracken and Kendra were asleep next to her. Vanessa and Warren slept side-by-side a few feet away. Clyvandir slept by himself, next to a column.

The others stirred, waking up slowly. Within a few minutes, they all rose, looked around, as if they forgot where they were.

Anette stood and dusted her clothes off. The message from her dream still running through her mind. "In the darkest places, there is light..." She mumbled. The message tugged at her mind, as if trying to help her revive a long-lost memory.

"Something wrong, Anette?" Kyrei asked sweetly, faking to be the loving little girl she wasn't.

"Nothing...Oh!" Something snapped in Anette's mind. Something her mom had shown her long ago.

Anette ran towards the throne, rushing past Kyrei and squeezing herself into the small space between the throne and the wall.

"What are you.." Kyrei started, then got off the throne and changed into human form. She walked to the back of the throne to watch Anette.

Anette pushed the throne and moved it slightly, but other than that, it wouldn't budge. Then, she heard meowing.

"Kira! Rice! Come here!" Anette called excitedly as she heard her guardians nearby. "Where have you been? Doesn't matter, come here!"

Kira and Rice approached in human form, walking slowly since they suspected Anette was tricking them. "What?" They asked at the same time.

"Help me push this!" Anette called.

The pair looked at each other, then approached. They squeezed in next to Anette behind the throne. With their combined strength, the push the throne forward.

When the throne was about two feet away from the wall, the stopped, panting.

Clyvandir, Bracken, Kendra, Vanessa, and Warren crowded around to see what happened.

Embedded in the floor, was a plain rock. Anette bent down and touched it. At her touch, the rock glowed a brilliant white, then settled to a soft cream shine.

Kyrei bent down and tried to pull the rock out of the floor, but Anette gave her a slight push out of the way. Kyrei glared, but Anette took no notice. Instead of pulling the rock, Anette pushed the rock into the floor.

The rock depressed into the floor. Then, the ground fell away, slowly dropping down.

Below the group, was a ladder leading into a dimly lit tunnel.


	12. Things Aren't Always What They Seem

**You all are getting somewhat lethargic in your reviewing. I promise, I'll never STOP a story, but when I get less reviews (Or slow reviews), it means I'll take longer to update, since people don't seem to want to read on as much. I know something might have happened and you couldn't read or something like that.. But still, you can't read, so I don't need to update, right? XD Anyway, I don't own anything.. I'll shut up now. **

**XXX**

"Bracken, you got a light?" Warren asked.

"Just because I'm a unicorn, doesn't mean I glow," Bracken retorted.

"The passage in lighted," Anette said, "Only the ladder is dim. I remember this."

Kyrei dropped herself into the hole, catching her body with her feet firmly on the ladder. She climbed down quickly.

Anette looked at the others and followed. Everyone except Clyvandir followed slowly after Anette. Before he started down the ladder, Clyvandir paused. From his pants pocket, he withdrew a small wrist watch.

The watch was a beautiful golden color. It had many gems set in it, making it quick a sight. The time was perfect and the face of the watch stood out just enough. Hidden in the background of the watch's face, was a hourglass. On the hourglass... Time was running out.

Clyvandir sighed and put eh watch back in his pocket. He lowered himself after the others.

Anette was right, the passage in the tunnel was lit, but it was dim. Kyrei was in the lead, followed closely by Anette. The others followed with Clyvandir in the back.

They walked in silence for some time. Eventually, Anette spoke, "Careful. I remember now. There's traps along the passage."

Kyrei nodded and continued slower than she was going, but still keeping a quick pace.

"How long is the passage?" Vanessa asked a few minutes later.

"I think we're almost to the... I can't remember what it leads to, but it's something important..." Anette replied softly.

Clyvandir pushed his way to the front of the group, he was right behind Kyrei.

Seconds later, Anette stopped short. "Wait..." she whispered.

Kendra bumped into Anette's back, making Anette stumble a step forward. "What's wrong?" Kendra asked, her own voice barely more than a whisper.

"Wait... Kyrei," Anette whispered harshly. "Kyrei!" Anette said, a bit louder.

"What?" Kyrei snapped and she turned around.

Clyvandir stepped quickly in front of Kyrei. He fell to the ground. Anette ran to his body on the ground. Kyrei's eyes widened as she turned and ducked to look at Clyvandir.

"No..." Anette said, tears leaking out of her eyes as she knelt next to Clyvandir.

Kyrei knelt next to Anette and looked around. From a hole in the wall, a dart had shot out and hit Clyvandir – a dart that was meant for Kyrei.

"Anette," Clyvandir whispered, his breath shaky. "My... time is up... I knew it was... soon. You spared my life.. and now it's... my turn to save... yours."

Kyrei looked at Clyvandir. "Clyvandir, you saved me, Kyrei, not Anette..." she whispered.

Anette leaned forward, bending over Clyvandir. "Too late, Kyrei...he didn't hear you."

"He died that quickly?" Kyrei asked.

"It's a sympathetic poison. Kills quickly instead of letting the victim suffer."

"Unlike the Zein..." Kyrei mumbled.

"We must move, that dart was only a warning. We are running out of time," Anette said. "Grieve for the dead later..." Even as Anette said that, a tear leaked out of her eye. She wiped it quickly away.

The group moved quickly forward. As they continued onward, they came to a dead end.

"Great!" Kyrei threw her hands up in the air.

"It's not a dead end," Anette said.

"What?" Kyrei asked. "Looks like one to me."

Anette touched the door lightly with her fingertip. The door began to glow, then produce heat, then it disappeared. "This is what was at the end of the pathway..." Anette stepped into a room.

In the room, torches hung on walls, lighting the room. Tables were placed randomly around the room. Many were covered in old papers with unreadable letters on them. Others were maps or old documents that were so worn, you would read them. A few cabinets stood against the walls. On the opposite side of the door was a wall with a large mural on it.

The mural portrayed a golden crown with many gems on it.

Kyrei ran forward. "This is it! This is the key to the crown!" she cried, jumping up and down a few times.

"Wait! Kyrei!" Anette yelled, running forward.

Just as Kyrei was about to run her hand along the large gem in the center of the crown, Anette pushed her out of the way. The force it took to push Kyrei, however, pushed Anette onto the mural.

The mural moved, like a ripple, and it seemed like Anette was going to fall right through it, but instead she seemed to sink into it, hit it, and bounce off it all at the same time.

'_Even the most beautiful things are not what they seem. Sometimes, the most precious item is the most dangerous.' _

The words flashed across Anette's mind. Anette heard someone scream "Noo!", but she didn't know who.

Then, Anette blacked out.

**XXX**

**Bleh. Excuse it's shortness, and my lack of updatingness. :U. **

**Next chapter introduces a new character. His name is Reskae. So, while you guess who he is, and wonder what happened to Anette, I'll be...doing something else. **

**Next Chap. You will learn a lot about the characters... kinda I believe some questions will be answered. **


	13. Reskae

**Right. So I got some interesting reviews. Hey, but I GOT reviews. So as I promised last chappie, I will update. **

**-SymetricallyObsessed: Honestly, did I make it THAT easy to tell he was going to die before? ;-;... And trust me, Anette will NOT be a Mary-Sue. She has problems. And there WILL be problems. **

**-Nostalgia's My Best Friend: You don't have to wait any longer, Thank you very much. xD**

**Anyhoo. So I just finished a very sad book called Before i fall. I honestly cried when I finished it... Anyone else read it? If you haven't you should... It's very touching. **

**If I end up channeling some of that sadness into this chappie, sorry. If this chapter is depressing, it's because of that book... ;w; I'll shut up now...**

**XXX**

_Reskae paused, observing his work. He was almost done. Soon, his experiment would be completed. He dropped a redish-purple powder into the bottle of bubbling blue liquid in front of him. He did one final check around the room, making sure there was no way for his new creation to escape._

_Beside the bottle lay a large gem. It was blue and seemed to radiate light from its depths. Reskae slowly picked up the stone, then dropped it into the liquid. _

_The liquid bubbled, almost over the edges of the bottle. Then, the bubbles sizzled down to a think layer of foam right at the top of the liquid. By now, the liquid was deep purple, with hints of red in it. _

_Reskae picked the bottle up carefully and examined the contents through the glass. The gem had disappeared. By now, a dark red-black shape, similar to a cloud, was forming near the bottle of the bottle._

"_Zein. Zein," Reskae said twice. The red-black cloudy form move as if hit with a spoon or something similar. Then he jerked across the bottle, the opposite side of Reskae. _

"_Zein!"Reskae commanded to the cloudy figure. _

_The figure jerked back again, then shot up, shooting out of the bottle. Reskae looked at it, satisfied. Then, Reskae walked to the wall of the room he was in. The mural was almost completed. All that was needed was the largest gem of the crown. _

_Reskae knelt next to a jar of blue-violet paint. He poured the liquid he had just made into the paint, not touching a drop of either liquids. He shook the bottle of paint to complete his job of mixing the two liquids._

_Then, he stood, holding the paint. "Zein!" He said to the cloudy creature that had hovered near his shoulder the whole time. _

_The cloud dived into the mixture in the jar, not a drop splashing out. Then, the cloud flew to the wall, not a drop of liquid dripping off the cloud. The cloud continued this process until the picture was finished and there was no more paint-liquid-mixture in the jar. _

_As soon as the cloud finished, Reskae nodded, satisfied and said, "Zein!" _

_The Zein hovered in the air, perfectly still. Then, it shuddered, breaking and splitting into two. Now there was two clouds. Reskae, shocked, took a cautious step backward. _

"_Zein!" he commanded._

_There was a knock at the door and Reskae whipped around. "W-wait!" He managed, but was too late. A very young Kyrei stepped into the room. _

"_Zein! Zein!" Reskae commanded the clouds forcefully, but instead of doing what he wanted, they multiplied._

"_Kyrei, we must go," Reskae said softly, barely more than a whisper._

"_Why?" Kyrei asked innocently, fascinated by the clouds. _

"_Just do as I say, go out the door. Before the -"_

_Again, too late. The clouds that had formed shot out the open door, leaving a faint trail of red-black mist as the flew. _

_Reskae looked at the open door. His creation had turned against hm. He sighed, frustrated with himself. "Why can't I control them...? Am I _that _weak? So weak I cannot control a filmy cloud?" _

_Kyrei heard the words: 'Why can't I control them...?' and thought, _I will control them. If my father can't, then I will.

**XXX**

Anette's eyes flickered open. Her vision was fuzzy and she blinked a few times to clear it.

"Are you alright?" Bracken asked, holding his hand to help Anette off the floor.

"Fine, I think..." The words '_I hope_' flashed through Anette's mind. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts.

There was silence. Anette got up slowly and dusted herself off. There was a dull pain in her back, but she ignored it. Something was tugging at the edge of her mind, but she couldn't remember what it was...

"Anette..." A new voice broke the silence.

Everyone turn to the corner of the room. A cabinet door was swaying slightly on its hinges, recently flung open. A figure stood just outside the cabinet.

His hands lay still at his sides and his head was somewhat lowered, as if powerless to some disaster that was about to happen. His silver hair is cropped neatly at the base of his neck and the muscles in his arm twitch slightly.

"Reskae..." Anette and Kyrei whisper, barely audible, at the same time.

Reskea lifted his head, looking at Anette and Kyrei. "I've failed again," he muttered and motioned at the mural that Anette had hit.

Kyrei turned, but Anette kept looking as Reskae, unable to believe her eyes. Kyrei examined the mural.

"Anette," Kyrei whispered. Anette made no move to turn. "Anette!" Kyrei said, louder. Anette turned and looked at the mural.

Instead of being fully colored, the mural was duller now. The center gem of the crown, the one Anette had fallen on, was completely blank. No trace of color could be found.

"What did you do?" Kyrei accused Anette. "Whatever power you got from that picture should have belonged to me!"

"Not power, Kyrei.." Reskae mumbled, stepping forward slowly.

"What do you know?" Kyrei turned to Reskae. "Where you the whole time? Here. In your lab. 'Protecting' the crown! You should have been with us. You should have been with me... Anette had Clyvandir and Mom. I had no one. I actually proceed with the law of Zarijen when the kingdom fell! I killed my mentor, like _you _wrote should be done!" Kyrei finally had to stop for breath.

"I've made mistakes, Kyrei," Reskae said, with more exuberance in his voice than before.

"She right..." Anette said slowly. "Kyrei has had no one but herself."

"Wait... Wait, wait, wait. Who is this?" Vanessa asked, putting her hands up in the air to stop the conversation.

Anette answered with, "Reskae, the King of Zarijen"

Reskae answered with, "I am Anette and Kyrei's father."

Kyrei answered with, "The creator of the Zein."

"Is that what you named them?" Reskae asked but didn't wait for an answer. "The word 'Zein' means 'bow' in ancient language... It was the command to get the creatures to obey you. I made them to protect this place. To keep the crown safe."

"The crown is here?" Bracken asked.

"No, not right _here_. The key to finding it is here though... But it's protected by poison..." Reskae said, his voice trailing off.

Something clicked in Anette's mind, "Of course.. That's why Mom told me never to come here.. I remember vaguely. I wanted to touch the picture, but she wouldn't let me. The poison..."

Kyrei's eyes widened. "That's why you pushed me. You've saved me twice today..." she muttered.

Anette nodded, "I remember something clicking in my mind right before I pushed you. It was my memory of being told not to touch the mural..."

Reskae looked at Anette, his daughter, sadness in his eyes. "The poison isn't sympathetic like the one in the trap. It's a slow death... You have some time, but not much."

Anette nodded. "We must find the crown."

"No," Kyrei said. She was now standing by the door. "Not _we, I._"

"Kyrei!" Reskae cried, realizing was she was about to do.

"_I _must find the crown. For Seth, and for Seth alone. I want to memory of my family or of Zarijen. There's too much pain here."

"Kyrei..." Anette whispered. "You're not doing it for Seth... You're doing it for yourself.."

Kyrei glared at Anette then commanded, "Zein!"

The shadow clouds, Zein, floated quickly into the doorway, surrounded Kyrei, then disappeared, taking Kyrei with them.

Everyone was silent for a while. Until Vanessa spoke, "What are we standing around for? We have a crown to find, don't we?"


	14. The Pain We Feel

**Alright... So I'm actually quite contented with chapter. I find it very sweet. Enjoy it, please~**

**Reviews:**

**Kat Novata – Thank you :3.**

**SymetricallyObsessed – Of course. How else did you think this would end? Naw, Joking, Joking. But yes, there is death to come. **

**Anyway~ Onto the Story. **

**XXX**

"We'll never catch up to Kyrei without help," Anette said. "She's going to find the crown, use it to revive Seth, then kill me."

"Revive Seth?" Vanessa asked before Kenda could.

Reskae coughed into his fist, interrupting Anette as she took a breath to reply. "The crown grants any one wish to it's bearer."

"So there's a chance to bring Seth back if we get the crown?" Kendra asked hopefully.

"When I said 'any' wish I meant _any _wish," Reskae replied.

"Wait..." Vanessa said, putting her hand up. "Kyrei left after.. what? We found out about the Zein... or whatever they were? Why _did _she leave at that moment?"

"She knows where the crown is, then?" Kendra asked.

"She probably knew a long time ago," Anette replied. "Most likely she just needed some method of getting there."

"Which was the Zein." Bracken said.

Anette replied, even though Bracken didn't say it like a question. "Ye-" Anette was interrupted by a fit of coughing.

"You alright?" Bracken asked slowly.

"Fi-" was all Anette managed before another coughing fit overtook her. She swayed and would have fallen if Warren hadn't took a step forward and supported her. Anette stood after a few more minutes. She spat out blood and coughed once again.

"I'm fine," she said with finality. Warren looked doubtful, but stepped away.

"You're not okay," two other voices said from the doorway.

Kira and Rice stood next to each other in the doorway, looking at Anette with concern. "You're not okay," Kira repeated.

"We know," Rice started.

"We feel it, too," Kira finished.

"Stop saying you're fine when we all know you're hurt," Rice said.

"You can't fight this on you're own, Anette. We won't let you," Kira added.

Anette laughed. A short, choked laugh that ended in a few coughs. "When did you two grow up so much?" she asked, amazingly getting through the whole sentence without coughing.

"When we felt your pain," one said.

"And felt the poison running through our blood," the other stated.

"We knew you wouldn't have hurt yourself on your own. Not if you were playing on saving Seth," they said together.

A tear leaked down Anette's cheek. "You guys are idiots..." she mumbled and began coughing softly. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her knees buckled.

Kira and Rice ran forward, catching Anette before she hit the ground. Rice held Anette to his chest and Kira knelt beside him as Anette's breathing slowed. They she stopped breathing completely.

Kendra moved forward, kneeling on the opposite side of Rice. She was crying, tears leaving wet trails down her cheeks. "She's coming back, right?" Kendra asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah," Kira said softly, tears streaming down her own cheeks. "That doesn't make it any less painful."

Kendra thought for a moment, wondering if Kira meant she felt Anette's pain as she died, or if Kira meant emotionally. Kendra decided not to ask. Bracken walked over and put his hand on Kendra's shoulder. Kendra hand reached up and clasped his.

Vanessa leaned against Warren. There was silence. Reskae stood a little ways off, his fists clenching and relaxing continuously. _How could this happen? How can I be so powerless? _He thought to himself.

_Perhaps Kyrei is right. _Reskae's stone, a grey-silver gem that hung around his neck, said in Reskae's mind. _Perhaps you are weak. _

_...No. _Reskae replied, though doubts were running through his mind. As doubts flooded Reskae's senses, Amarte, the silver-grey stone, gained more control over its bearer.

XXX

"_Anette," a soft voice whispered. "You must return now. Your friends are waiting."_

"_Mother?" Anette asked into the darkness. Anette saw nothing. Everything was black and empty. But it was a good empty. Like just beyond the little layer of emptiness, there was something beautiful. _

"_Go now, Queen. You take my place now. You must," the voice said. _

"_I-I can't," Anette stammered. "Kyrei already has a head start and she knows where the crown is..."_

"_She doesn't."_

"_What? Really?" Anette asked. "Then why did she leave?"_

"_She didn't. She'll be following you," the voice stated._

"_Then we just shouldn't leave! If we stay, she won't be able to find the crown!" Anette exclaimed. _

"_You must." A ghostly image of Anette's mom appeared in front of Anette. The figure's hand reached out and caressed Anette's cheek. "You must go. To save yourself."_

"_Who cares about me! If I die, Kyrei won't find out where the crown is!"_

"_She will. She's stronger than you think. Reikea is corrupted. That strengthens Kyrei's power." _

"_So we should just get rid of Reikea," Anette said._

"_If Reikea is separated from Kyrei, Kyrei dies. She loses all her lives," Anette's mother said. _

"_But-" Anette started to protest, but her mother interrupted her._

"_You must go now, Queen. Know that you always deserve my crown. You always hold my place on the throne. Not Kyrei." The figure of Anette's mother shimmered. Heartbeats before she disappeared, Anette's mother said, "Go, save your loved ones."_

XXX

Anette opened her eyes slowly. She blinked a few time, trying to clear her vision of the many heads above her. She reached up with her hand and rubbed her eyes. When she looked up again, there was still quite a few hands above her.

"Oh, Anette!" Kendra cried suddenly. She wrapped her arms around Anette's neck. Anette was vaguely regaining her sense of touch and sight.

Anette could see Rice and Kira on her left. Kendra on her right with Bracken beside her. Vanessa and Warren were a little farther back.

Anette finally regained her sense of touch. She realized Rice was holding her. And as the final details in her vision returned, she could see the wet trails that tears had left on everyone's faces.

Anette sat up slowly so she wouldn't hit Rice's head. And so her own head could get used to being upright. Rice helped her sit up, then stood. Kira helped her stand. Anette's head was pounding, but she smiled softly. "How could you all cry for me...?" she asked slowly.

"How could we not?" Kendra said, sniffing.

"We can't help it," Kira said.

"We can't help imagining it's the last time," Rice added.

"Your last life," Kira said.

"I still have four more to go," Anette said softly. "You still have me for a while."

"I can't believe I was jealous of you once..." Kendra muttered.

"You _were _jealous!" Warren exclaimed. Then, in response to Kendra and Vanessa's glare, he said, "Not that it matters, now..."

"I can't believe you were, either," Anette replied, smiling sadly. She moved forward and hugged Kendra.

"Uhm, Anette?" Warren said, coughing uncomfortably and staring at where Reskae had stood.

Bracken stepped in front of Kendra and Anette. Warren and Vanessa stood side-by-side looking around the rooms for weapons.

Anette and Kendra stepped away from each other and looked at Reskae. He was in wolf form. A huge white wolf with huge claws and large fangs. He clicked his teeth together, a sign he was going to attack soon. The silver-grey stone named Amarte glowed faintly on his forehead.

"_Zein!" _everyone heard the stone command Reskae.

Reskae lunged forward, hitting Bracken in the chest and pinning him to the ground a few feet away. Kendra and Anette had jumped away a few moments before to avoid being hit by Bracken and Reskae.

Reskae's teeth moved to close on Bracken's throat. Vanessa clicked the huge wolf on it's side and it stumbled off Bracken. Bracken got up, attempting to regain his breath.

"_Zien!" _Amarte commanded again.

Reskae regained his balance and looked around the room at it's scattered opponents. He looked a bit indecisive for a moment, then lunged at Anette, his teeth aimed to close around her throat.


	15. Rice and Kira

**For those of you who read the last chapter, well, I hope you had fun. I also hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have to say my favorite part to write was when Anette was about to die and Kira and Rice finally catch up with the group. Anyway. **

**Reviews:**

**AndAPartrigeInAGrapeTree: o3o. I can only say one thing to that: HAI~ Wowowowow c;**

**16hayhay16: No promises!~ Teehee~**

**Sorry. Kinda hyper c; Anyway. Onto the story! Weee~ (I said that last chapter.. Eww I'm boring :C)**

**CORRECTION: And we jump out of a magical flying plane made out of green beans nd parachute into the story. Then we mount our trusty gumdrops nd hop to the castle who's name I can't remember nd I'm too lazy to go look up c: LESH GOO~ (Yeah, I'm done.)**

**No wait. I'm not done. Okay. Towards the very end of the last chapter, I just noticed a typo... "Vanessa clicked" … That's supposed to be kicked. Meh, I'll fix it later. ...;**

**XXX**

"Anette!" Kendra cried and lunged forward to push Anette out of the way.

"Kendra!" Bracken yelled. He grabbed her hand and tugged her backward. Kendra turned from the force and fell into Bracken's chest. Bracken put his arms around her, keeping her from turning to look at Anette as Reskae lunged for her.

Reskae's wolf form was inches away from Anette. The look for horror was clear on her face. Time seemed to slow down. Vanessa turned to look away. Warren closed his eyes. Bracken buried his face in Kendra's shoulder.

"How could you," Kendra whispered quickly.

"She has other chances, you don't," Bracken whispered back, hugged Kendra tighter.

Everyone heard Anette scream, but no one heard the scream that died in Kira's throat as Reskae's jaws closed around it. Only Rice saw the pain Kira went through. The look on her face shattered him.

"Kira!" Anette screamed.

Everyone looked back up at Anette's voice. They had looked away to avoid watching the girl's death, so the sound of her scream surprised them. Kendra whipped her head up, had Bracken not moved just as fast, she would have slammed her head into his chin.

Kira crumpled to the ground. Anette hissed at Reskae, the sound ending in a small cough. Reskae lifted his large wolf head, teeth dripping with Kira's blood. Even with that sight in front of her, Anette couldn't help stare over Reskae's shoulder to watch Rice.

Rice was looking down, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His body began shaking, whether it was because of the sobs racking him, or whatever supernatural thing that was about to occur, only Rice himself knew. He began glowing. At this, even the vicious wolf that was Reskae turned to look behind him.

Rice was casting a golden glow over the room. It wasn't dim, but it wasn't so bright it would hurt your eyes. Anette began slipping past Reskae and moving towards Rice. As she got closer, she saw the tears streaming down his cheeks were golden, as well.

Rice's normally cream-colored hair was blazing like the sun. Though there was no breeze, it seemed to float on the wind and create a mane around him. It took everyone a moment to realize it actually _was_ a mane: a lion's mane.

The light around Rice gave bright pulse. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the sudden increase in brightness. When the light faded, in Rice's place stood a giant golden-furred lion. Anette could tell it really was Rice by the golden trails left on the lion's face from Rice's tears.

Rice roared. The sound was beautiful, strong, and very, very, sad.

"_Zien!"_ Amarte commanded Reskae. The wolf shook his head, drops of Kira's blood flying in various directions as he did.

Rice roared again as a drops of blood splatted in his mane. He swiped a huge paw at Reskae and the wolf fell on his side. Bracken jumped out of the way, pulling Kendra with him. Rice swatted at Reskae again. With each attack, Rice seemed to get smaller. His anger died away, and he began glowing again.

The golden shine flashed again before dying away. Reskae lay bruised, and defiantly beaten, in a corner of the room. He was hurt so bad, and was so weak, he couldn't stand.

Rice sat on the ground, tears once again streaming down his face. Anette didn't know if everyone saw it, but to her, his tears still looked golden. Slowly, Rice crawled to Kira's body.

Rice picked up Kira's upper body and hugged her to his chest. When she was moved, her eyes barely flickered open. Through blurred vision, Kira made out that is was Rice next to her.

"Rice..." she managed.

Rice lowered her onto his lap. "Shh, Kira," he said softly; his golden tears splashing onto Kira's cheeks. "Just stay still," he whispered.

Kira somehow managed to lift her arm. Her hand came up and caressed Rice's face. With her thumb, Kira wiped away one of his tears. She coaxed his head downward using the pressure in her touch. When Rice's face was right above her's, she whispered in his ear.

"You'll have... to watch out... for her... on your own... now, Rice," Kira said softly.

"No, no," Rice cried. "I can't let you die here. Not like this..."

"It's not.. your choice.. to make," Kira replied.

Kira motioned for him to lean forward more before letting her hand drop to her side. She whispered something in her ear that no one except for Rice heard, but by Rice's reply, everyone knew what she said.

"I love you, too," Rice whispered back. "I can't believe I wanted until now to say that..." Rice made a choking sound that stopping him from continuing.

Kira took a ragged breath and closed her eyes. Then, her breathing stopped all together. Rice leaned forward the last inch and closed the gap between his face and Kira's. Their lips met for a few seconds. A new wave of golden tears raining onto Kira's cheeks as Rice pulled away.

"Rice," Anette said softly. She put his hand on his shoulder as his body shook with sobs. "She'll always be with us," Anette stated weakly and softly. She gave a small cough and wiped some of her own tears away with her other hand.

"We should move..." Vanessa said. She wasn't crying, but she was blinking quite quickly and occasionally she would rub her eyes.

"Yeah, we should," Warren agreed. "In fact, Vanessa, you might want to move from that exact spot." Warren was facing the opposite direction of Vanessa.

Vanessa whipped around and barely dodged the giant wolf's fangs. Anette looked up and said, "He's on his last wolf life. Rice killed him."

"I didn't kill him," Rice choked out, "I was avenging Kira." He was still on the ground, clutching Kira's body to his chest.

The unnaturally-sized wolf lunged for Warren next. Warren lunged to the right, but landed on a table. The table broke from the sudden impact and Warren crashed, face-first, to the ground.

Before Reskae could move in for the kill, Vanessa ran over to the splintered table, grabbed a broken leg, and flung it at the wolf's face. With wonderful aim, the wooden table leg flew into Reskae's open mouth, choking him. Vanessa helped Warren scramble out of the way.

Reskae coughed, trying to get the wood out of his throat. Vanessa snatched up another piece of wood, waited for the right moment, and once again threw the piece into Reskae's mouth. It landed in the back of his mouth.

Bracken took up Warren's example. Leaving Kendra near Anette and Rice, he grabbed some wood and flung it Reskae's open mouth. Eventually, the large wolf, choked to death, lay on the floor, twitching occasionally.

"Well, that's that," Vanessa said softly.

**XXX**

**Honestly, again, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Seriously. I'm writing it, and even I cried. Yes, I know the last few chapters have been kinda morbid. Don't worry, I promise the end will be good... Well. Okay. 95% chance it will be good. Anyway. Thanks for reading~ Please Review.**


	16. Only You

**Okay... So.. I was re-reading the past two chapters to try and get into the feel of this story again, but I'm not sure how well it worked. I've wanted to update Predators recently. And reviews have been somewhat slow.. Plus, I've had utter writer's block for this story. e.o;.. **

**Huh. I was going to say something, but now I can't remember...**

**Again.**

**Dangit. **

**I'll remember later x-x;...**

**Probably sometime during the middle of the story..**

**Then I'll come back up here and add in it... **

**Like.. right about HERE.**

**Maybe.**

**Maybe I'll put it somewhere I like better.**

**Anyway.**

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**XX-**

**Wait. Huh. I just had an idea. Okay. So anyone want to find out what happened to Kira? Maybe I'll give her a second chance to be with Rice. Maybe not. But. Hey. I'm not so heartless I'll just forget about her. So let's have at least part (or all) of this chapter following Kira. **

**This.**

**Will.**

**Be.**

**Fun.**

**Indeed.**

**NOW:**

**XXX**

_Kira felt like she was siting and floating on... nothing. She was just floating. She didn't know how long she was like that. She felt like everything was very surreal. Like the nothingness around her was real, but not real at the same time. _

"_What a weird dream," Kira kept mumbling to herself. _

_Suddenly, gold exploded around Kira. Sun-colored light filled the nothingness, replacing blackness with beautiful sunflower-gold. _

_Kira stood. She didn't know exactly how. More like she just _knew _she was standing. She looked around. Images began floating around in the gold, slowly forming pictures or videos. Kira watched, absorbed completely by the different memories. One jumped out to Kira, and she watched it intently. _

_Kira, as a cat, walked through an alley, alone. She padded slowly and leisurely until something white and shiny appeared in front of her. Being the cat that she was, and not – apparently – being able to turn into a human yet, pounced on the white thing. _

_Raxtus turned, watching with amusement in his eyes as Kira the cat pounced on his tail. "Hey, Kitten," he said softly, lowering his head to get a better look at Kira._

"_Mew?" Kira replied, staring at Raxtus's eyes for a moment before pawing at his nose. _

"_Raxtus!" An annoyed shout distracted Kira from playing with the shining, white dragon. _

_Raxtus lifted his head, turned towards the shout. "Something wrong, Anette?"_

"_Tell these fairies to get their butts BACK IN THAT CRATE!" Anette screamed._

_Kira yelped and hid behind Raxtus from the angry voice. "Mew!"_

"_It's alright, Kitten. She won't hurt you. She's a cat, like you," Raxtus said soothingly._

"_Meow?" Kira stepped out from behind Raxtus._

"_RAX-"_

"_I'm coming," Raxtus said, loud enough to cut off Anette. He began walking down the alley, in the direction Kira was walking before she saw his tail. Kira followed. Curiosity _did _kill the cat, after all._

_Raxtus approached a girl standing next a crate. Swarming angrily around Anette was about a dozen fairies. _

_Raxtus said something to the creatures in a language Kira didn't understand. Well, of course she didn't understand it; she only spoke cat. The fairies chattered angrily, but obeyed. They all flew back into the crate and Anette quickly put the lid on._

"_Can we go now?" Came a new voice. This one, Kira understood, even though she couldn't see the speaker._

"_Yeah, Rice. I think we're good." Anette stared behind the crate as she spoke, apparently looking at the owner of the voice Kira could understand. _

"_Good," Rice said. "I'm starving. Can we get tuna?"_

"_You _always _want tuna, Rice," Raxtus said, annoyed amusement in his tone. _

"_It's good!"_

_Kira cocked her head to one side, utterly confused since she only heard one side of the conversation. "Mew?" she asked Raxtus._

_Rice heard Kira. He jumped up. He was human.. Mostly. Cat ears were protruding from his hair, parting the cream-colored strands. A tail swished playfully behind him._

"_So _that's _who you were talking to, Raxtus," Anette said._

"_Her." Rice stared at her._

"_What?" Anette asked._

"_That's my partner," Rice stated, looking at Anette pleadingly. _

_Anette put her hands on her hips. "How do you know?"_

"_I don't... I just..." Rice's voice kept trailing off. "It's a feeling," he finally stated. _

_Anette sighed. "Fine. Raxtus?" _

"_She'll work, I suppose," Raxtus said. The dragon turned to Kira. The cat met his eyes and when she did, blinding white light erupted around her._

_Kira tore her eyes from the video, blinking quickly. She didn't remember that... At all. There was no trace... or spark... or anything. She didn't know how she ended up with Rice and Anette. She just did. Rice and Anette were her beginning... And now that she thought about it, her end, too. _

_The pictures and videos began to fade. Kira watched as words appeared in their stead. At first, the words were blurred. Kira's eyes strained to make them out but failed. As the words became clear, Kira began to notice they were the same phrase over and over again. _

"Kira. That's the one."

_That's what the words said. _

_Kira didn't know what exactly they meant.. _

_She sat, cross-legged. She ran her hard through the golden air. It became thicker when she felt it. The gold under her hand seemed to thicken and soften. _

"_It feels like cat's fur," Kira said, smiling and giggling softly to herself. _

_The golden-fur-air then solidified. A lion appeared beside Kira. She gasped, but the lion turned and looked at her with green eyes. Rice's eyes._

_The Rice the lion rubbed it's cheek along hers. A sign of affection. Rice the lion's mane tickled Kira's cheek and neck. She laughed. He purred softly. _

_Rice the lion backed up, staring into Kira's eyes._

"_I get it now," Kira said softly. "These are your memories, not mine, right?"_

_He purred warmly. _

"_That makes sense." Kira ran her fingers through Rice the lion's mane, enjoying the softness of it. "Why are you a lion?" she asked the lion in question._

"It's what I am."

_Rice's voice appeared in Kira's head. Similar to what Anette's did when she talked during her cat-like stage._

"_You talk?" Kira asked._

_Rice nodded. Slowly, Rice turned into himself. Human. Fully. "Kira..." He whispered._

"_Rice? I thought I was dead. You shouldn't be here," Kira said softly._

"_I can't leave you," Rice said. "No, wait. I take that back. You can't leave me."_

"_I _died _Rice. There's nothing either of us can do about that." _

"_Are you sure?"_

"_What?" Kira's voice squeaked as she said the word. "How?"_

_Rice looked down. He stayed silent. Kira watched him. She stood, so their face were level. Or would be. If Rice was looking up. "Rice? How?"_

_Rice muttered something. A single word. It shocked Kira. _

"_What? Rice! What is wrong with you!" Kira screeched. She looked around frantically. _

_A small crimson-color shadow appeared in the distance. Easily spotted among the sea of golden light. _

"_Zien!" Rice commanded, louder this time. _

"_Rice? What have you done?" Kira yelped. More crimson shadows floated into view. They swam lazily through the gold light to Rice, obeying his command._

"_There's a way Kira," Rice said. He finally looked up again. A couple of tears were falling down his cheeks. "I found a way... For us."_

"_Rice... how could you turn to those... things?" Kira whispered. _

_Rice didn't get to answer. The shadows that followed the command of Zien approached them. They came to a stop a few feet from Rice and Kira. _

_The shadows' voices appeared in Rice and Kira's heads. _

"We wait to do your bidding, master."

_Rice looked at Kira. "Will you trust me?" he asked pleadingly._

"_I trust you Rice. I just don't know if I trust your judgment right now," Kira replied softly._

"_Please?"_

"_Rice. The Zien... Whatever-they-ares. Are evil. Kyrei uses them. Don't you think that's enough to prove to you that you shouldn't ally with them?"_

"_They aren't all evil, Kira. They are wishes. Good ones. And bad ones. That doesn't make all of them evil." Rice looked at her with sad eyes, willing her to understand._

_Kira stared back at him. "Fine. I trust you. But that doesn't mean I have to like what we're doing."_

_Rice smiled slowly. He turned to the shadows. He said something in a language Kira didn't understand. Then the shadows began glowing, casting their crimson light into the golden. It wasn't bad crimson though. Not the blood-like, evil-looking crimson. It was warm and welcoming. Kira couldn't help but herself smiling along with Rice._

"_This is it," Rice said softly. "Ready?" He turned to Kira and formally held out his hand._

"_I feel like a princess," Kira muttered._

"_You are," Rice smiled wider. "You're my princess." _

_Kira slapped his shoulder. "And you're cheesy."_

_Rice rolled his eyes. Kira glanced around in that moment. She noticed all the golden light was now crimson. "Just take my hand," Rice said. _

_Kira put her hand in his. Immediately, she felt like she was falling backwards. "Rice!" she yelped. Kira felt Rice's grip tighten on her hand. Kira couldn't see anymore. Then, everything stopped. Kira felt safe and secure..._

_She opened her eyes, even though it didn't feel like they were closed. All she saw was a light purple light. Similar to the gold, before the pictures and videos and memories. "Rice?" she called._

"_I'm here. You can't see me, but I'm here."_

"_Where are you then? Or more, where am I?" Kira asked nervously._

"_Don't worry. Actually, stop worrying. You're feelings are projected into mine. It's freaking me out," Rice said, sounding nervous, like Kira._

"_Okay..." Kira said, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down. "So where am I?"_

"_In a.. Rock."_

"_What? Rice! WHY AM I IN A ROCK?"_

_Rice shrugged. Kira knew... She didn't know how, but she knew he shrugged. "It's complicated..." Rice muttered._

"_Kira crossed her arms. "I have time," she said angrily._

"_Okay! Okay!" Rice said quickly, sounding irritated. "Well... Let's see... I guess you can say I'm now a mix between a Ynnyx and a Lyrin. I'm a lion right now. You are in... or maybe you just are... Anyway. You're the stone. A pretty purple one. I dunno why I know that... Since I can't see my forehead.. But you're like Reikea. Without being corrupted." _

"_Rice. You turned me into a rock," Kira pointed out, utterly annoyed. _

"_A pretty rock..." Rice said in defense. _

"_Rice..." Kira said in a warning tone. _

"_Alright, alright. But you can turn into a human... When I transform into a human. Like I said, I'm a mix between a Ynnyx and a Lyrin... I have qualities of both. I don't think I have nine or eight lives though... Just one. You."_

"_Again. Very, very cheesy, Rice." _

"_I'm serious!"_

_Kira rolled her eyes. "Now how do I get back to being a human?"_

"_Uh," Rice said. _

_Kira glared forward. "Wow. Thank you. I am now stuck in a rock."_

"_Uh. How about we try the hand thing?"_

"_Okay, one, I can't see you. Two, you have paws."_

"_Here," Rice said. His hand appeared in front of Kira. Then the rest of him slowly formed. Kira took his hand. She felt like she was falling backwards again, and then she appeared in front of Rice, in his arms. _

"_There, that worked, didn't it?" Rice said, smiling at her. Their faces were only a few inches apart._

"_You know I can't stay mad at you." This time, Kira closed the space between their lips. _

**XXX**

It ended and began with that kiss.

**XXX**

Everyone simply watched Rice clutch Kira's body, not wanting to interrupt his silent mourning.

They stayed in silence as Rice gasped, seemingly in pain. No longer was it respectful silence, though, when Kira's body melted away, glowing a faint purple color. Then, it was shocked silence as Rice's body began to glow golden again and he turned into a normal-sized lion with a purple stone on his forehead.

Everyone watched and waited. Surprise and shock settled on their features. Rice lay on the ground, as a lion, for a while. Then, he glowed golden again, and his stone glowed purple.

Then, Rice and Kira – both human and very much alive – stood in each others' arms.

"There, that worked, didn't it?" Rice said, grinning at Kira.

"You know I can't stay mad at you," Kira replied. Then, she closed the space between their lips.

**XXX**

**Okay, honestly, that was WAY longer than I thought it was going to be... I had that Idea while I was writing the intro, and I guess I kinda got into it. Anyway, I really enjoyed this chapter as well. **

**See? I don't kill EVERYONE off ;.. Some I kill. Some I don't.**

**Anyway. Please review. And hey, some of you are getting lazy. I want a few quick reviews, that's all I ask for! I'll update sooner then! So review? Yes, yes? c;**


	17. Cave and Crown

**Hey everyone~**

**Miss me? ;3. . . **

**Pfft, I know you did~ Well, I'm baaaack! (Irony much?)**

**Anyway. Reviews:**

**Sonicpit99 [Review from Chp. 2] – Yes, it's somewhat based on that. . . **

**Sonicpit99 – Thank you~ Here's your update.**

**Anon (Anonymous review) – As you learn in Chapter 10 or so, Seth is very much dead. C; . . .**

**Don't worry, though, guys! I promise the ending is happy! ;3 *Cough well, for me it is Cough***

**Anyway. Here's the update:**

**Oh! And you get a new break. . . **

**I don't own anything from Fablehaven.**

**. . .**

Kendra, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "What was _that?"_ she asked, sounding surprised rather than irritated, as her words might have suggested she was.

Kira and Rice broke apart. They released each other. "Um," Rice said.

"He turned me into a rock," Kira stated, pointing accusingly at Rice, though there was no anger or annoyance in her voice.

"Uh," Rice muttered. "I can explain?" His voice rose to a higher pitch at the end of the sentence, making it sound like a question.

"By all means," Bracken muttered. "We could use some explaining."

Rice began to stammer a reply, seeming embarrassed, but Vanessa held up a hand to stop him when Anette coughed softly. "Save it," she said. "We have more pressing matters at hand."

"Right," Warren added, "We need to get going."

Anette waved her hand in the air. "I'm fine," she stated stubbornly. She stifled another cough. "I'm good for a while."

Warren nodded, probably agreeing with Anette just to stop and argument from starting. He turned towards the door, and the others followed, Anette taking up the rear.

"The traps should be deactivated, now," Anette said, just as an arrow flew past Warren's ear. She froze. "Or not." 

**. . .**

They made it back to the throne room safely. Well. With minor injuries. Warren's cheek and arm were grazed by an arrow and a dart, and Bracken got hit in the leg by a rock when Vanessa ducked without warning and it flew over her head, colliding with Bracken's knee instead.

The unicorn sat down heavily on the stairs leading to the throne.

"Again. I'm sorry?" Vanessa offered. "I didn't get a chance to warn anyone."

Bracken waved his hand dismissively at the blix. "It's fine. But it will leave a bruise . . ."

"We need to keep moving," Kendra reminded them.

"That's wonderful, and all, but do we know where we're going?" Warren asked.

"Nope," Kira answered.

"Great," Warren said cheerfully. "I love unplanned adventures."

**. . . **

Kyrei scowled. Forget this stupid rock. She threw the thing – a small, flat silver rock – onto the ground. She growled in frustration and began pacing.

"Kyrei," Reikea said softly. "Calm down."

"Do you want to join that-that thing on the ground?" Kyrei hissed at her stone, her voice shaking with anger.

"We both know you wouldn't do that, now would you?" Reikea replied, her voice sweetening to conceal the edge it suddenly had.

"No, of course not," Kyrei mumbled irritatedly.

"Good," Reikea said. "Now think this out. You can't get any flashbacks or hints to the crown from the stone, but maybe Anette can. Just follow her to it."

Kyrei's eyes lit up. "That might work!" She turned to look around her, hands on her hips. "Zien!" Kyrei called out. Immediately, the black shadow appeared in front of her. She retrieved the silver stone from the ground and held it out. "Take this to my sister, Anette," she commanded.

The shadow enveloped Kyrei's hand for a moment, sending a cold shiver through the Lyrin. Curse those things and their ability to give the chills to _anything_ they touch.

Kyrei then called out again, and more Zien gathered. They swarmed around her. She told them to carry her and follow the one she'd given the former command to but to stay out of sight.

Kyrei stomped her foot on the ground as the shadows fled. "Zien!" she cried out. "Not out of my sight! Out of the others' sights! Dangit!"

Then, the shadows had picked her up and carried her after the first shadow, the one with the silver stone.

**. . . **

Anette cried out in pain and surprise as something flew towards her and hit her arm.

"Anette?" Kendra asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," Anette mumbled, picking the thing that flew at her off the ground. She studied it in her hands and sat on the steps in the throne room.

Suddenly, a flashback washed over Anette. Her eyes closed for a moment and Kendra watched her with a semi-worried expression on her face. "Anette?" she repeated.

Anette jumped up, dropping the stone on the floor. Her eyes sparkled. "I know where the crown is!"

**. . . **

Kyrei smiled to herself. _Perfect._

**. . .**

Kyrei looked into the cave. She heard a cough behind her and looked back at the campfire that Anette and her friends had made. One cough was followed by another. "She must be losing another life," Kyrei muttered to herself. She had to get there first, before Anette. Better start moving.

Reskae had been wrong. He thought the key to finding the crown was back in the castle, but he was wrong. It was where Anette was. Because Krynsta had always played favorites. Loved the girl who took after her. Loved the first-born, just because she was older, and probably more powerful.

Kyrei would show Krynsta she was wrong.

Kyrei had hated that Anette had met Seth. . . She wished – _longed –_ for that chance, but it was never given to her until just recently. She felt for him. He was just like her.

Seth was truly powerful, but did anyone acknowledge it? No.

All the glory went to his sister. . .

But Kyrei was determined to change that. For both of them.

She took a deep breath and walked through the cave entrance.

"Zien!" Kyrei whispered fiercely. A few of the shadows gathered around her feet and floated alongside her. "Make some light for me," Kyrei commanded.

A couple of the shadows floated up and began glowing a crimson light, illuminating the passage. Kyrei pressed forward at a fast pace. She could feel power emanating from the cavern ahead. Soon, she emerged into a large cave with until torches lining the walls.

With a barked command, the torches were lit by the Zien, and Kyrei could easily make out the spacious area. It was round, and the torch light shone off jewels embedded in the ceiling of the cave, which, in turn, made the floor and walls sparkle with different colored lights.

Kyrei ignored the sight of the cave. Instead, she moved to a center and looked up. At the top was a small hole, a tiny spec of sky visible.

Then, Kyrei waited, pacing around the center of the cave. Just as the moon began to shine through the hole in the ceiling, Kyrei heard footsteps behind her, at the entrance. "Oh, company," she muttered darkly as she turned to face the entrance to the cavern.

Anette, Kendra, Bracken, Rice, Kira, Warren, and Vanessa into the cave, Bracken in the lead, and Anette at the rear. They froze, watching Kyrei. Anette took a step forward and Kyrei a step back.

"Kyrei," Anette said, a warning in her voice.

"You're too late, _Princess,_" Kyrei replied, her face at a loss for an expression. The light fo the moon shone through the hole in the ceiling, making a circle of light. With another step backwards, Kyrei was in the center of the light.

A humming sound began emanating from the walls of the cave. Then there was a whoosh of air, and the torches went out. The room was now bathed in moonlight. The humming grew louder, and Zien began leaking out of the cave walls from all directions.

Some of the shadows gathered at the entrance and made a wall, blocking off Anette and her friends' escape.

Kyrei held out her hands, and the light disappeared from the room. Then golden light illuminated it, instead, coming from Kyrei's hands. "I finally am Queen," she whispered. Then Kyrei looked up. "Zien! Attack!"

**. . . **

Anette walked towards Kyrei. The others had jumped into action, but Anette just walked towards her younger sister, obvious to the shadows that gathered on her skin and began sucking her energy away. "Kyrei, please," Anette said softly, approaching the other girl. "Think about this. . ."

Kyrei's gaze met Anette's. "I have," she said, "And nothing you say will change my mind." With that, she raised the crown above her head and began to speak.

Kyrei didn't get the chance. Anette transformed, changing into a beautiful, ghostly figure of a 10-foot tall white tiger. She lunged at Kyrei, and they both went sprawling, the crown flying from Kyrei's hands. Anette turned back into her human form and lunged across the ground for the crown.

"Zien!" Kyrei commanded.

Anette's fingertips grazed the crown and she stretched forward, grasping the crown in her hand. She heard some yells from behind her and hoped that the others were okay. Anette squeezed her eyes shut. "I wish everything was as it should be," she whispered.

But Anette didn't see the Shadows that collided with the crown as she spoke.

**. . . **

**owo. . . That was fun. Took me about a week to finish this chapter. . . But I finally got to the point I wanted to end at, so Hurrah! C;. . . **

**Thanks for reading, and review!**


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